Food Archives - Page 2 of 20 - Living Off the Grid: Free Yourself

Woman growing strawberries in a covered net box

Food

5 tips para crecer fresas

¿Las fresas son tu fruta favorita?

¿Quieres cultivarlos tú mismo en casa?

¡Aquí hay 5 consejos sobre cómo cultivar más fresas de lo esperado! No te preocupes si es la primera vez que trabajas en el jardín.

1. Haz una cama de fresas. Plantarlos de manera uniforme.
2. Proteja sus plantas de los pájaros y otras criaturas. ¡Asegúrate de cubrir tu cama de fresas!
3. Elija un cultivar de fresa que se sabe que produce un cultivo de bayas grandes. Como la mayoría diría, las variedades de días cortos le darán la mayor cantidad de fresas.
4. La mayoría de las variedades de fresas producen corredores. Estos corredores eventualmente desarrollarán sus propias raíces, dando como resultado una planta clonada. Una vez que estas raíces adventicias se establecen en el suelo, los corredores comienzan a secarse y marchitarse. Después de eliminar los corredores, la planta puede absorber más nutrientes, lo que lleva a producir más de lo esperado. Es bastante simple plantar corredores de fresa. ¡Todo lo que tiene que hacer es cavar alrededor de la planta y levantarla suavemente!
5. Para mantener sus frutas frescas y saludables, use mantillo que se descompone y fertiliza la tierra. Alimentará a sus plantas y evitará que la hierba y las malezas crezcan con sus plantas de fresa.
Y ahí lo tienes. ¡Un montón de bayas! Todo lo que tienes que hacer ahora es recogerlos y disfrutar del sabor fresco y jugoso de la baya deliciosa de color rojo. Los expertos en permacultura dicen que cultivar espárragos junto a las fresas da mejores resultados.

Este articulo es una traducción directa del original https://off-grid.net/5-tips-on-growing-strawberries/…

June 21, 2017 No Comments

EcoSolarCool, Refrigerator, Solar, Off-grid,

Food

EcoSolarCool new Solar Refrigeration

EcoSolarCool have kick-started 2017 with the release of two new Solar Refrigeration models. The new additions to the upright product line aim to minimise the daily power consumption of cooling appliances. Refrigerators are one of the most energy consuming appliances in the home, accounting for up to 25% of household energy cost. EcoSolarCool want to change this, “providing constant, reliable and energy efficient cooling at great value.”

Two New Models

Both of EcoSolarCool’s new models are approved by UL250 and CSA to US and Canadian standards. These are the only solar refrigerators in the world to hold this approval. Plus this is for the whole unit and not just the compressor. Both models have the most up to date and advanced Danfoss DC compressor and are manufactured in Europe. The power consumption for the models is also at a record low for the solar/DC appliances industry at 201 kWh per annum! This is also amongst the lowest in the AC refrigeration appliances market.

The ESCR260GE Metallic Grey model has a total capacity of 260 litres (9.2 cubic feet). The refrigeration compartment is larger in comparison to the freezer compartment at 235 litres (8.3 cubic feet) to 25 litres (0.9 cubic feet). The freezer is located at the top of the unit and the refrigeration compartment at the bottom. This model weighs in at 121.3 lb (55kg) and is 23.7 x 25.2 x 57.1 inches.

The ESCR355GE Stainless Steel model has a total capacity of 354 litres (12.5 cubic feet). The larger refrigeration compartment (258 litres/9.1 cubic feet) is located at the top of the unit, and the freezer compartment (96 litres/3.4 cubic feet) at the bottom. This model weighs in at 163.2 lb (74kg) and is 23.7 x 25.2 x 78.8 inches in size.

Features of Both

Both models have adjustable internal temperatures and reversible doors. The temperature range for the cooling compartment is between 0°C/32°F to 10°C/50°F. Whereas, the freezing compartment temperature can reach as low as -18°C/-0.4°F. For operation, both models need a solar panel, a 12 volt AGM, lithium or deep cycle battery and a 15 amp 12/24 volt solar charge controller. The battery ensures the refrigerator will continue running through the night and on not so sunny days. Whereas, the solar charge controller regulates the electric charge from the batteries and the solar panel(s). To find out how many solar panels/batteries needed to run your solar refrigeration appliance, check out EcoSolarCool’s blog post.

The refrigerators are perfect for a wide variety of situations from RVs, to cabins to on and off-grid homes.

Both refrigerator models can be bought from a local dealer or the Solar Power estore. Prices advertised on the EcoSolarCool website are $1,299.00 for the smaller Metallic Grey model and $1,650.00 for the larger Stainless Steel model.

EcoSolarCool Products all have these…

All the solar powered refrigeration and freezer appliances sold …

March 22, 2017 2 Comments

Food

UNESCO Credits SOIL Course

Last month I outlined the Permaculture course available at the School of Integrated Living (SOIL) in the ecovillage Earthaven (see here).

Recently, this program has been certified by Gaia Education, a provider of sustainability education across the world. The Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) credential will be provided through the Permaculture Immersion program running between Jun 10 and August 11 2017 at Earthaven ecovillage in North Carolina. The program provides students with both the knowledge and practical skills needed to design a society which reaches sustainable development principles supported by the UNESCO Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development.

The program has four main dimensions which are covered. The social element involves working towards a common vision, improving communication skills and the ability to deal with conflict and diversity within a society. The economic element includes assessing the impact of the global economy on local projects and coming up with ethical economic opportunities within projects. The ecological aspect is learning about permaculture principles, as well as designing water systems for projects and learning how to apply green building principles. Finally, the worldview aspect is about maintaining a healthy lifestyle whilst incorporating regular spiritual practice.

SOIL co-founder, Lee Walker Warren, said, “The program helps passionate people understand their impact on society and forge real connections with themselves and others. People who are deeply engaged in their local and global communities make the biggest impact, both on other individuals and the planet.”

Over 4,900 students have taken part in the Ecovillage Design Education program across the world, supported by Gaia. There are various locations where these programs take place including Estonia, Italy, Canada, Chile, South Korea, Thailand, India, Scotland, Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands. However, SOIL is only one of two organisations in the US which offer the UNESCO recognised EDE course.

On completion of the course at Earthaven, both an EDE certificate and a Permaculture Design certificate will be awarded.

There is currently a $100 discount when booking through the SOIL website for the Permaculture Immersion program by using the promotional code: SOILPEI100.…

February 23, 2017 1 Comment

Food

Trail Cameras for Hunters or Animal Lovers

Whether you are an avid hunter or just love watching animals behaving normally in their natural habitat, you will want to read this.

A trail camera is a relatively low cost way to improve the efficiency of hunting as well as being the only way you can watch animals in their every day situations without disturbing them by your presence.

Trail cameras have huge possibilities for hunters. You can carry out a survey of the animal population in your chosen location, study the habits of your prey and even catch poachers and trespassers who have no right to be in the area. This last benefit is also one for animal lovers and vegans who wish to protect their local fauna from invasive hunting.

One thing to worry about is your beautiful new camera being stolen by other humans – whether they be hunters or just ramblers. That is why camouflage is an important consideration.
At around $150, one of the best buys is the Bushnell Trophy Cam Aggressor No Glow with Xtra Camo. As well as having excellent battery life and great night vision, it is also extremely hard to spot (other than when it actually goes off and uses the built in flash).

Choosing the best camera for your needs though leads you to consider the correct criteria. Features that matter most include portability, image resolution, night vision and storage space. To guide you in selecting the best option, have a look at this buyers’ guide .…

February 17, 2017 1 Comment

Food

Feeling Hot Hot Hot: Solar Cooking in Action

Cooking can be challenging in itself. Following recipes, getting the right ingredients and hoping it comes out tasting delicious – unless you’re a top class chef, everyone has had a fair few burnt dinners in their time. When you’re off-grid however it’s not just worrying about what it tastes like, but how to cook the food in the first place!

Harvesting the power of the sun for cooking has been a practice conducted for many years.

Solar cookers have been on the market since the mid-80s and have become a popular option for safe and easy cooking with no fires or fuel involved. There are obvious benefits to solar cooking, after the initial investment it is a free renewable source of energy. Not only this, but it is seen as a healthier way of cooking without smoke from fires etc.

Solar cookers convert the sun’s rays to infra-red radiation producing heat. Therefore, it is not the sun’s heat itself or the ambient air temperature outside the cooker that causes the food to cook.

There are three main types of solar cooker which can vary in their design and build.

The solar box cooker is derived from a box with reflectors that funnel the sun’s rays into the chamber which contains the food to be cooked. These models can reach very high temperatures, on average between 200-350°F, which is ideal for most baking needs. With a good heat retention and little need for supervision it is perfectly safe to leave food for long periods without fear of burning. Being a box shape these cookers are less likely to tip over and when constructed will have high levels of insulation.

The solar panel cooker on the other hand doesn’t reach temperatures quite as high; between 200-250°F. Essentially the design is a pot or pan within a plastic enclosure, with a 3-5 side reflective panel surrounding it to channel the sun’s rays. This type of design is best for slower longer cooking periods, leaving food very succulent. With no adjustments needed to track the sun, little supervision is needed.

Finally, the solar parabolic cooker can maintain the highest temperatures of the three main types and so can be used for grilling or even frying food. It can cook food much quicker, however usually smaller amounts than what can be held in the box or panel solar cookers. Also more attention is needed when cooking using this model, as the angle and direction of the cooker will need to be changed more frequently to track the sun.

There are many plans and designs for you to try if you want to have a go at a DIY solar cooker. Many designs include using materials commonly found around the home or are easily obtainable. For example, cardboard boxes, aluminium foil, black paint, some form of adhesive and even umbrellas!

If you don’t want the hassle

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February 16, 2017 No Comments

Food

Be Our Guest – Food Preserving Part 2

In Part I, I covered canning and smoking as food preservation methods. This article takes a look at refrigeration and dehydration.

Freezing and refrigeration is the easy way to preserve food compared to some other methods. The only problem is, once frozen or cooled it has to stay that way until consumption.

Before the wonders of electricity and modern technology, how did people do this?

On farms and in small villages it was common to have a spring house which would provide natural refrigeration. A stone building with troughs dug into the ground on which the house stood would be built over a natural spring. Water from the spring would flow through the troughs and jugs of milk or other produce could be placed in the channels. These would then be kept cool as the water flowed around them. Ledges and hooks would also be provided in the spring house, to hang meat and vegetables in a cooler environment.

If the house wasn’t built over a natural spring, water could be redirected from a nearby creek. Initially some spring houses were made of wood, however this was prone to rotting. Stone therefore is the better material, not only does it hold the cold better but it won’t decompose or decay with time.

Fancy building your own spring house? You can find out more at Bright Hub.

Another option which was used before electricity and still used today is root cellars.

These underground rooms stay cool in the summer but above freezing in the winter – perfect for fruits, vegetables and canned goods. The cool temperatures prevent bacterial growth and the humidity prevents withering. Ideally the cellar will have temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, have low levels of sunshine, good insulation from materials such as straw or soil and be easily accessible.

Root cellars come in a variety of forms from walk in rooms to putting trash cans in the ground to create a “mini” cellar. If you’re on a tight budget, take a look at this video by the Walden Effect, who made a root cellar out of an old refrigerator.

Speaking of refrigerators, if you want to be a bit more tech-centric, then there are various options for off-grid cold food storage.

Propane fridges have been a staple for many RV owners and in off-grid homes. Some models can run off propane, DC or AC, making them more flexible. Although these appliances are good for keeping food cold and frozen with ample storage, they do require some maintenance and if they break down can be expensive to repair. Not only this, propane may be unavailable or very expensive to get hold of in certain areas and some propane fridge models can be extremely “fuel hungry” – not exactly the most economical option. There is also an initial investment of over $1,000. Take the Dometic …

February 12, 2017 No Comments

Community

Please don’t eat the bunnies

I’m really concerned about how people, especially young people will fare if/when TSHTF, I am right now, as I type, having a conversation with a young lady (23 years old she told me) on a Facebook group about frugal living. There have been some photos posted of people butchering their meat animals, chickens, roosters, rabbits and the such, though as I went through the page, honestly I saw only a couple of photos of someone with the dead animal in the photo that they intended to butcher.

This particular young lady posted a plea to the group to not post photos of animals being slaughtered (her words) for meat as these animals are cute and in her mind shouldn’t be considered for food, or at the very least not discussed on the FRUGAL living group as this “upsets her”. She posted a couple of pictures of cute baby chicks and baby bunnies to drive home her point.

I carefully penned a reply explaining why it’s frugal to raise and butcher your own meat animals, and that I’d prefer to see an animal raised on a home setting or small farm setting and butchered in a humane manner rather than animals being raised in commercial settings, never seeing the light of day, never touching the earth, being fed soy based feed, growth hormones, antibiotics, to have never felt the loving hand of a human and the such.

I wrote in the most polite and empathetic manner possible, but the conversation quickly degraded to her asking me why I don’t raise cute puppies for meat. You can see the full conversation below, I blurred out the names for privacy purposes. For the record, she also told me she does eat meat, just not red meat or rabbits. I am not interested in bashing or making fun of this young lady, I am sincerely concerned about the lack of knowledge as to where our food comes from, and the future of our society, especially if things go south.

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February 12, 2017 1 Comment

Food

Be Our Guest: Food Preservation Part I

Charcutier Sean Cannon is opening his first restaurant, Nape, in London this month. Born and bred in Norfolk, Sean told the Guardian how growing up in a self-sustaining community influenced his cooking. His best kept secret – preserving.

“Whether it’s killing an animal and having lots of fresh meat, or early summer and everything is ripe, knowing what to do with a glut is key.” Cannon said.

If you live off-grid you’ll know that preserving food for future use is essential. Not only does it provide food security, but also allows you to taste sweet summer berries in the winter. By doing this age old tradition, it also stops more modern thoughts and concerns of “what is actually in my food?” If you do the preparing and the preservation, you know exactly what has gone into the food you will be eating.

There are many ways to preserve food including canning, freezing, dehydrating and smoking.

Canning is a valuable and low-tech way to preserve food. There are two main methods for this, either water bath canning or pressure canning. It is worth noting that water bath canning should only be done for acidic fruits, such as berries and apples. If canning other produce such as meats and vegetables, pressure canning should be used; otherwise there is a high risk of food poisoning.

The basic process is to heat water in your canner (or large pan if water bath canning). This should not be filled to the top; 3-5 inches should be left for your jars of food. Jars should have lids secured and be placed carefully into the canner, being careful not to knock other jars, as they could crack or break under the high temperatures. The jars should be immersed in the canner with the water just covering the lids. The canner lid should be locked in place if pressure canning and the jars left for as long as needed according to the recipe. After the required time, the canner should be allowed to depressurise if using a pressure canner, before the jars are removed. Heat protection and necessary precautions should be taken to ensure you do not burn yourself. The jars should then be left to cool and seal for a minimum of 12 but ideally 24 hours. The sound of popping and pinging will mark your canning success!

Canning is so popular because of the wide variety of foods that can be preserved this way and the length of time they will remain edible for. Plus there’s no worry of keeping food frozen or cool!

Canning does however come with an initial start-up cost. If you’re only looking to preserve fruits and jams, then water bath canning in a large pan is of course an economical way to go. However, if you’re looking to preserve a wider variety of foods which includes meat and vegetables, …

February 9, 2017 No Comments

Community

Cooking from scratch

cooking from scratch

Cooking and eating are two (of many) pleasures in life for me, I learned how to cook from watching my mother who was a fantastic cook. She could take just a few basic ingredients and make a meal fit for a king. I remember pushing a kitchen chair up to the counter and standing on it so I could see and help my mother cook. My first dish that I made all by myself was scrambled eggs, standing on a kitchen chair to reach the stove top, of course my mom was right there, but she let me do everything myself, I was so proud of that plate scrambled eggs.

My mother cooked everything from scratch, we never had boxed or pre-prepared anything, I will admit that I was a bit jealous of my friends who ate TV dinners from foil trays, they ate macaroni and cheese from the blue box, and white bread from plastic bags, I thought we were just too poor for such luxuries. Little did I know how lucky we were to have a mom who was talented in the kitchen. Once I was older I discovered just how tasteless that institutional food really was and appreciated my mother’s skills all the more.

One thing I learned from my mom was how to cook without having a recipe to follow, I call it “cooking by the seat of my pants”, I know how to follow a recipe, but I also know how to tweak a recipe, how to make it even better, how to substitute ingredients and best of all, how to make up my own recipe for the things I want. A few benefits of cooking for yourself is it’s usually more frugal, another reason is you know what is going into your food, no mystery ingredients (or ones you can’t pronounce) and best of all, it’s often tastier.

The other day at the grocery store, I purchased a package of English muffins, there were only 6 in the package, they were tasty but rather expensive. We quickly ate them over a matter of 2 mornings. I decided I wanted to make some, I had made them before, I know there are 2 different methods, one is to make a dough, roll it out, cut out the rounds, allow them to rise and grill until cooked on both sides. The other is the batter method, where you make a thick but pourable dough, I already knew I preferred the batter method as that results in English muffins with the nooks and crannies.

I searched through many recipes online but couldn’t find one that I wanted to use, so I just made one up. It’s not difficult, I poured some milk into a pan, added some butter, sugar and salt, I warmed it up until the butter melted (but not too hot), removed from heat, added …

February 5, 2017 1 Comment

Community

SHTF cake aka comfort food

shtfcake

In times of stress, and SHTF would create a lot of stress, it’s good to have some comfort food to help bring the stress down to bearable levels. While sugar isn’t good to eat in excess, during stressful times, sugar helps release dopamine, which makes you feel good.

I found a cake that can be made with common prepper foods, here it is

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (from canned butter, or use shortening)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (or 6 tablespoons egg powder + 9 tablespoons water)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup reconstituted powdered milk

Pour everything into a large bowl, mix together (a wire whisk works great here), butter an 8×8 pan (or equivalent), bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and dust with powdered sugar, or mix powdered sugar with a little water or reconstituted powdered milk to make an icing.

https://youtu.be/ksUdAUfZeTg

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October 29, 2016 No Comments

Food

Por Qué No Comprar Grano para Gallinas

Cuando me imagino criando pollos, siempre es de campo libre (¡por supuesto!), Veo a un granjero caminando por una bandada de hackeadores hambrientos arrojando puñados de grano al suelo para alimentarlo. Parece que Karl Hammer ha descubierto cómo criar pollos, más de 600, sin tener que comprar ni una sola bolsa de grano. Al ver este video, es increíble ver a todas estas gallinas vagando libremente, revolviendo y cavando montones de compost altos. Karl es un rey del compost, tiene varias (y enormes) pilas de compost ubicadas en lugares estratégicos para canalizar y capturar el lixiviado que fluye de un montón a otro. Esto está diseñado para que ninguno de los nutrientes se pierda y no terminan contaminando su fuente de agua potable ni las propiedades vecinas.

Estas pilas de compost consisten en muchas fuentes diferentes de material, desde estiércol de vaca y burro, desperdicios de comida de varios restaurantes de la ciudad y otras cosas que podrías encontrar en una pila de compost. Están CALIENTES, lo que significa que están activos, de hecho, Karl está produciendo su primer lote de ajo negro en una de las pilas calentadas. Nunca había oído hablar de ajo negro, pero es algo en lo que estoy muy interesado ahora, puedes obtener más información al respecto aquí .

Empecé a ver este video pensando que solo iba a aprender sobre pollos y compost, pero Karl tiene mucho más en la manga que eso. Él cría y usa American Mammoth Donkeys (Jackstock), parece que fueron muy importantes en la historia, en los Estados Unidos y en otros países, uno de sus ancestros se remonta a un animal que fue entregado al Presidente Washington por el Rey de España, otro regalo vino de la isla de Malta. ( LINK ) Estos animales no solo proporcionan estiércol valioso, son animales que trabajan, tiran del equipo y son guardias para el otro ganado en la granja.

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June 21, 2016 No Comments

Hispanic

Cuidados Sencillos para Gallinas Sanas

Es genial criar pollos:

huevos, un tipo de compañerismo áspero y, finalmente, un ave asada.
¿Pero debería cada casa fuera de la red tener algunas gallinas? Necesitan trabajo y pueden enfermarse. Pero los pollos sanos, pueden ser una gran fuente de alimentos e ingresos. Si decides tener algunas gallinas, aquí hay algunos consejos y trucos para mantenerlos sanos y felices.
HECHO DEL DÍA: ¡ Las semillas de calabaza crudas son desparasitantes naturales para las gallinas!
Parece que mucha gente pone su fe en este sabroso tratamiento. Según Sunny Simple Life , las semillas de calabaza están recubiertas de un químico que se produce naturalmente y que paraliza a las lombrices para que el pollo pueda expulsarlas.

Pero, ¿dónde obtienes tus semillas de calabaza?

Qué no dar a tu bandada

¡Al igual que cualquier otro animal, dar golosinas a su pollo es una forma clásica de ganarse su confianza y lograr que se vinculen con usted! La mayor parte de la comida sobrante será segura para su rebaño, pero trate de evitar la sal. También debe mantenerlos alejados de la comida con moho, ya que es tóxica. Los cítricos son otro alimento que no se debe dar a los pollos debido a la acidez. ¡No quieres molestar a tus pollos!
Si tiene problemas para encontrar semillas de calabaza para su rebaño, aquí hay otro artículo que le muestra una alternativa para la alimentación del pollo: Karl Hammer, el rey del compost, explica cómo alimenta a su bandada extremadamente grande con altos montones de fertilizante. El compost puede hacer el trabajo de la misma manera que las semillas de calabaza cruda. Sí, es correcto, compost.

¡Nunca vuelvas a comprar grano para tus pollos!
¡Felíz alimentación!…

June 21, 2016 No Comments

All you need to go off-grid

Food

5 tips para crecer fresas